Backlit
Backlit
Podcast Description
Backlit is a series of groundbreaking conversations with emerging authors. Hosted by Abena Ntoso, each empowering discussion goes behind the literature and beyond it, inspiring intellectual and creative engagement around social issues. Built on authentic curiosity and camaraderie, Backlit transcends literary discourse to become a generative space documenting the emergence of new perspectives and new possibilities for life and work.
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
The show explores topics such as gender dynamics in literature, the intersection of ecology and writing, and the evolution of work in modern society, with episodes like Just Labor featuring poet Laura-Gray Street discussing themes such as writing as a journey of discovery and the role of privilege in storytelling.
Backlit is a series of groundbreaking conversations with emerging authors. Hosted by Abena Ntoso, each empowering discussion goes behind the literature and beyond it, inspiring intellectual and creative engagement around social issues. Built on authentic curiosity and camaraderie, Backlit transcends literary discourse to become a generative space documenting the emergence of new perspectives and new possibilities for life and work.
What happens when reality becomes surreal? How do we draw the line between fiction and nonfiction? In this episode of Backlit, Egyptian novelist and poet Mohamed Kheir joins me in exploring surreal situations, inspired by the English translation of Sleep Phase. Blending past, present, and future in scenes that evoke the chaotic beauty of a changing city, Mohamed’s work examines how monumental shifts influence our understanding of ourselves and our world.
Topics discussed:
- Surrealism and artistic influences
- Inspiration from history and culture of Cairo
- Challenges in literary translation
- Drawing a line between fiction and nonfiction
- Deconstruction and reconstruction in urban landscapes
- Navigating mass media in an age of misinformation and fake news
- Inspiration from observing your surroundings
Links:
- Episode webpage with transcript
- Purchase Sleep Phase by Mohamed Kheir
- Purchase Slipping by Mohamed Kheir
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